Young Grafton boys’ team caps season with four top-10 finishes at state swim meet

For a team in rebuilding mode, the Grafton boys’ swimming and diving squad handled itself quite well at the biggest meet of the season last Friday.With all four of their qualifiers turning in top-10 performances at the WIAA Division 2 state finals in Madison, the Black Hawks scored 48 points, good for 17th place in a 34-team field.Sophomore Bailey Bodart led the way with a second-place effort in the 50-yard freestyle (21.87 seconds), and freshman Jack Senczyszyn was seventh in the 100 breaststroke (1:02.16).Grafton’s other scoring came from its two senior divers. Killian Mielotz placed seventh with 313.65 points, and Zach Greenwood was 10th with 237.45.“We did all right. I was pleased with that kind of finish after we lost so much talent from last year to graduation,” Grafton coach Mark Minz said.“It was a really nice way to end the season.”Last season, the Hawks’ senior-heavy team had 10 individual finishes and three relays qualify for the state level, where they placed sixth with 156 points. A repeat effort was not in the cards, but Grafton still cashed in with a blend of young and veteran talent.One year after swimming on a state-qualifying medley relay, Bodart showed his sprinting skill by trailing only Madison Edgewood’s Zack Parkin (20.92) out of 16 entrants in the 50 freestyle.“Bailey had a solid second. He would have liked a faster time, but he still held it under 22 (seconds),” Minz said.

Senczyszyn capped his inaugural high school season with a personal-best time in his specialty.“He started out this season at 1:09 and just kept lowering it,” Minz said.Greenwood and Mielotz were again familiar faces at the state pool, making their fourth and third appearances in the Division 2 finals, respectively. Greenwood fell short of his fourth-place showing in last season’s meet, but Mielotz bettered his 11th-place finish as a junior.“Anytime you can have two guys in the top 10 at a state meet, it’s hard to complain,” Minz said. “They scored 29 points before the swimming even started, which gave us a big boost.”Whitefish Bay’s Joe Kaszubowski had no trouble successfully defending his state crown by dominating a 16-diver field with 551.95 points.Edgewood won the team title with 294 points, well ahead of runner-up McFarland’s 242. Monona Grove, last season’s champion, was third with 224 points.Minz said the Hawks will miss longtime mainstays Greenwood and Mielotz, but he’s looking forward to having most, if not all, of his swimmers back next season.“It bodes well for the program to have that many kids returning,” he said.“I certainly believe we can do even better next year.”